Movement · Pilates for Beginners

Pilates for Beginners

Where this leads

Master these foundations first. When the routines feel easy in your body, you’re ready to graduate to The Original 10 → — the classic mat sequence.

Where to begin

A complete beginner Pilates mat practice — every exercise from my book, filmed in the studio, with the how-to, the breath, and what to be mindful of. Move through them in order, or open any one on its own.

Before you begin

New to the method? The groundwork — what Pilates is, the breath and neutral spine, the pelvic floor, and the principles it’s built on — lives in GLOW Body Foundations →. Read what calls to you, then come back and move.

Prepare

Set the breath, the spine, and the deep core before the work begins — the warm-up from the book.

Breathing Prep

Hold 20–45 sec

Find the lateral breath.

Arm Circles

8–10 reps

Mobilize the shoulders, still the core.

Chest Opener

Hold 30–45 sec

Open the chest and upper spine.

Cat Stretch

Hold 30–45 sec

Articulate the spine, flexion to extension.

Rest Position

Time-based (~1–2 min)

A restorative spinal stretch.

Abdominal Prep

8–10 reps

The first curl — find the deep abs.

Toe Taps

8–10 sets

Lower the leg, keep the spine still.

Close the practice with length and ease.

Finishing Stretch

Hold 30–45 sec

Close with length and ease.

You’ve reached the end of this one.

← Back to Movement

Keep reading in this wing

Your First Pilates Session Muscle Integrity Program

More of The WayLifestyle · The Kitchen

The practice beneath it all

When the mind needs somewhere to land

Everything in this wing points, in the end, to the same place — the breath, and the nervous system beneath it. It is why I built SOVA: a quiet companion for the moments in between.

Today — a daily practice that aligns you before the day pulls you a dozen directions.
Companion — a place to process any feeling, even the happy ones.
Pages — a soft place to set your thoughts down and out of your head.
The House — rooms of calm to step into, whenever you need one.

Step inside SOVA →

Your First Routines — a printable plan

Five short routines that grow with you — from a gentle daily ten minutes to a full mat flow that readies you for the Ten. Print it and keep it by your mat.

Pilates for Beginners — Your First Routines

Start here, then build. Do Routine 1 daily for a week or two, until it feels easy in your body. Then move to Routine 2, three times a week — and keep climbing as each one starts to feel comfortable. Tick the boxes as you go.

Routine 1 · First Steps

Daily · about 10 minutes · gentle

Breathing Prep — 5 breaths
Chest Opener
Arm Circles — 5 each way
Abdominal Prep — 8
Heel Squeezes — 10
Cat Stretch — 5
Rest Position — hold & breathe

Routine 2 · Core Foundations

3× a week · about 15 minutes

Breathing Prep — 5 breaths
Abdominal Prep — 10
The Hundred — 50–100 beats
Single Leg Stretch — 8 each
Single Leg Extension — 6 each
Toe Taps — 10
Shoulder Bridge — 5
Rest Position Supine — hold

Routine 3 · Strength & Control

3× a week · about 20 minutes

Routine 4 · Full Mat Flow

3× a week · about 25 minutes

Routine 5 · Bridge to the Ten

3× a week · about 30 minutes

Breathing Prep
The Hundred — 100
Roll-Down — 4 → toward the Roll-Up
Single Leg Circle — 5 each way
Rolling Like a Ball — 8
Single Leg Stretch — 10 each
Spine Stretch Forward — 4
Seated Spine Twist — 5 → toward the Saw
Side Kick Series — 8 each
Rest Position — hold

Working up to the Ten. Routine 5 is your bridge. When it flows without you having to think about it, you’re ready to begin The Original 10. There’s no rush — the body that goes slowly is the body that lasts.

The Way by Gina Santangelo